The 2021 renewal of the European Super Cup has been played out, and attention can now turn to the continent’s top leagues getting underway for their respective 2021-22 seasons — with most of the action beginning to take place from August 13th onwards.
Contested by the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League, Europe’s main and secondary club competitions, the Super Cup has acted as the curtain raiser to the new season for almost 50 years now, and whilst many consider it to be a pre-season friendly, or like a European version of the Community Shield, it provides football fans around Europe with some much-needed action, and still attracts plenty of interest in the betting exchange!
So, as the dust settles on Chelsea’s recent triumph, read on as we take a look back at the last three editions of the European Super Cup…
2021: Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal (6-5 penalties)
After four failed attempts, Chelsea finally got their hands on the Super Cup trophy in Northern Ireland. Held at Windsor Park in Belfast, it really was a game of two halves, with the Blues dominating the first half before Villarreal took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second 45 minutes. It was Hakim Ziyech who gave Chelsea the lead before the half-hour mark, converting from Kai Havertz’s low-cross, whilst the prolific Gerard Moreno got the Yellow Submarine back into the game with around 15 minutes left to play. With neither side able to break the deadlock through the additional 30 minutes, the game headed to penalties — where late substitute Kepa Arrizabalaga was Chelsea’s hero, saving two spot kicks as Thomas Tuchel’s side won 6-5 after sudden death.
2020: Bayern Munich 2-1 Sevilla (AET)
Despite the pandemic, and many games being held behind closed doors, just over 15,000 spectators passed through the turnstiles of the Puskás Aréna in Budapest for the 2020 edition of the Super Cup, which was headlined by Champions League winners, Bayern Munich, and Europa League champions, Sevilla. It was the Spanish side who took a shock lead early on, with Ivan Rakitić being brought down in the box, as Lucas Ocampos coolly converted the penalty. It wasn’t long until Bayern got back into the game though, as Leon Goretzka equalised for the German giants in the 34th minute. After the fast start, neither side were able to break the deadlock again in the regulatory 90 minutes, so the game was forced into extra-time — where Javi Martínez’s powerful header in the 104th minute proved to be the winner for Bayern.
2019: Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea (5-4 penalties)
Vodafone Park in Istanbul played host to this all-English Super Cup final in 2019, and after all the hype in the build-up to the Premier League rivals clashing, the game certainly lived up to expectations. Olivier Giroud gifted Chelsea the lead in the 36th minute, and the Blues thought they doubled their advantage shortly after, only for Cristian Pulisic’s effort to be ruled out by VAR. Sadio Mané equalised early in the second half, and the game once again headed to extra-time. Just five minutes into the additional 30, Mané grabbed his second goal of the game to give Liverpool a 2-1 lead. However, Chelsea were gifted a way back into the game, when Adrián brought down Tammy Abraham in the box — Jorginho unsurprisingly delivered from the spot to make it 2-2. After the highs of winning Chelsea’s penalty on his senior debut for the west London club, Abraham went on to miss the deciding penalty as Liverpool ran out 5-4 winners in the shootout.
